Palma ratio (before tax) in Malaysia
Malaysia: Palma ratio (before tax) was 2.86 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Palma ratio (before tax) in Malaysia, 1948–2022
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 2.86 for palma ratio (before tax) in 2022.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and down 31.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, palma ratio (before tax) in Malaysia peaked at 5.45 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 2.8, in 2019.
That places Malaysia 87th out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 3.3 | 3.21 | 3.39 | 2 |
| 1950s | 3.45 | 3.21 | 3.74 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.95 | 3.83 | 4.05 | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.29 | 4.22 | 4.38 | 6 |
| 1980s | 5.07 | 4.87 | 5.33 | 3 |
| 1990s | 5.32 | 5.18 | 5.45 | 3 |
| 2000s | 4.91 | 4.79 | 5.17 | 4 |
| 2010s | 3.34 | 2.8 | 4.19 | 4 |
| 2020s | 2.86 | 2.86 | 2.86 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 84 Germany 3.08 compare
- 85 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3.01 compare
- 86 Poland 2.97 compare
- 89 Croatia 2.85 compare
- 90 New Zealand 2.75 compare
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.3171 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.4881 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0702 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.2047 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4538 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 134.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is palma ratio (before tax) in Malaysia?
- Palma ratio (before tax) in Malaysia was 2.86 in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.45 in 1997.
- What is the lowest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8 in 2019.
- How does Malaysia rank for palma ratio (before tax)?
- Malaysia ranks 87th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is palma ratio (before tax) rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Palma ratio (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The Palma ratio is a measure of inequality that divides the share received by the richest 10% by the share of the poorest 40%. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income before taxes and benefits.